Do games count tho?

As we are learning and dissecting exactly what digital humanities are, this week we looked at a few pieces that are a part of a genre of literature called interactive fiction. This genre is another part of literature where a gaming element is added to enhance the way stories are being told. It still has a interactive element, but these games can be constructed to have a plot or it can be more of an observant experience for the reader. For example some games within digital literature can come in text form. Basically, the player will be emerged in a world that is only imagined through words.

Within the first week of learning about games within literature, Zork was one of the first genre of games we looked at. It's a text base game that was referenced in the first paragraph. Zork was created by the first gaming companies called, Infocom. Infocom became a huge hit within the early 80's. It was seen as something revolutionary because a plot was added and in a way, the reader can now become the player. With every game came these objects called "feelies", which were certain materials that came along with the game. This helped really helped the player feel like they were in the game. Referencing back to Zork, The player is emerged into a text based world and every action is a command that the player will type in. Below is a walkthrough of the game Zork. As shown in the video everything that is done in the game depends on the actions typed in. This definitely displays a similarity to the digital narratives we have been looking at. Interactivity is what these two genres have in common. Another example of gaming would be games that actually have graphics and images. 

ZORK WALKTHROUGH VIDEO

One of the games we looked at that included sound and images was called "That Dragon, Cancer". The addition of graphics and sound makes the plot of the game more effective. Once again its a digital narrative but on a different format. Video games can make understanding the story easier because you are shown these different images and various symbols of a video game can easily be pointed out. for instance, in he video game, "That Dragon, Cancer", the player is viewing a child who seems to have cancer and each part of the game is the child interacted with different people. As the player gets closer and closer to the end, it helps us understand that we are getting closer and closer to maybe the death of the child. That's why video are powerful because everything is being shown to the player. You are set right there in the game either clicking away being an observer or controlling the main character of a story.

We have also looked at games that serve as messages which reflects the world of today. One of the games was called "Prison strike". This was a electronic literature game that made the player be seen as a literal eye. You were the eye that saw all the bad things that is going on within the prison system. Various use of symbolism is also used in this type of gaming. The plot is somewhat not as immerse as video games, but these type of games focuses more on the message instead of plot story. There isn't the usual protagonist v antagonist, its just the player being exposed to a certain truth that is being shown to them as they walk through the game.

This is why within the digital format of storytelling, games count as being part of the digital narratives. A story is still being told and each time the player experiences something different. They can journey through a world of imagination in Zork, or drop a couple tears for the boy in "That Dragon, Cancer". Either way the reader is being effected in some way. No matter the format a story or a message is being told. This can also be the future of literature in many years to come, or honestly it might already be the future of literature.